Some Account of a Sheep, Shewed Alive to the Royal Society, in November 1754, Having a Monstrous Horn Growing from His Throat; The Stuffed Skin of Which, with the Horn in Situ, is Now in the Museum of the Society. By James Parsons M. D. and F. R. S.

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XXIX. Some Account of a Sheep % Jhewed
alive to the Royal Society, in November
1754, having a monftrous Horn growing
from his Throat ; the fluffed Skin of which,
with the Horn in fitu, is now in the Mu~
feum of the Society. By James Parfons^
M. D. and F. R. S.

Read May 1, rp H I S animal was bred in Devon-
17 ss ' I fhire, with the preternatural horn

appearing at to birth in much £ fame proportion
as at prefent. The novelty of the thing made the
farmer fpare the life of the lamb, and bring it up
till it grew to the fize of a well-grown fheep, pretty
large of its kind, and about three or four years old.
When it was brought before the Society, I remem-
ber the owner faid, the horn weighed then twenty-
fix pounds , and the creature fwung it about, and
raifed it up with amazing ftrength. When he was
fed, he moved forwards, letting the horn drag be-
tween his fore-legs, whereby he was enabled to lay
his nofe to the ground ; for the fkin, by which it
hung, is flexible, and though reduced to a neck,
with refpedt to the circumference of the horn, yet
it was hollow as well as flexible, leaving an open
paffage from the flefh of the neck to the cavity of
the horn, and its contents. Sometimes the horn
would come into f ch pofitions, as to twift the fkin,
which gave the fheep great uneafinefs; but, from
neceflity, he knew how to relieve himfelf, and from

cuftom

[ >«4]

cuftom became ready at that, as well as bringing it
between his legs to favour his feeding.

That he was a well-grown fheep, appears from
the following dimenfions :

He was four feet fix inches in length, from the
nofe to the fetting on of the tail ; which tail was but
fix inches long ; and the fize and weight of the horn
v/as fo great in proportion to the animal, that no-
thing but his having been accuftomed to move, and
carry it about from his birth, can account for the
great power he {hewed in his manner of command-
ing it in every attitude.

Nature is ever bufy in fupporting herfelf : when a
preternatural weight was to be carried about, the
mufclesof the neck had acquired a more than natural
ftrength and robuftnefs to anfwer it ; for it was very
remarkable, that this creature elevated his head upon
any occafion, with as much feeming eafe, as if ao
weight had been fufpended to his neck; although,
joined to fo great a weight as twenty-fix pounds
avoirdupoize, the enormous fize of the horn muft
make it very unwieldy and cumberfome, being in
length along the convex or anterior furface two feet
feven inches ; and on the concave fide two feet one
inch ; its greateft circumference two feet two inches,
middle circumference one foot fix inches $ and near
the apex one foot; and its weight is now fifteen
pounds, though emptied of its contents.

It is faid, that the fheep in Devonfhire have their
natural horns of the fhape of this preternatural one j
whereas they are curled in thofe of other counties.
Now this animal had in the natural places no horns,
but only two horny flumps, projefting no more rhan

half

C '8S ]

half a walnut-fhell laid upon a flat furface, with the
convex fide upwards , for the horny particles, which,
according to nature, ought to have had their fecre-
tion to produce horns in the uftial places, were de*
termined to this monftrous one perpetually, in the
manner, which I have already attempted to explain,
in the chapter of the analog/ between the fluids of
animals and vegetables, of my late treatife, intituled,
Philofophicalobfervations upon the analogy between the
propagation of animals and vegetables, &e.

It is faid by the perfon, who brought the fluffed
fkin of this fheep to the Society laft Thurfday, that
upon opening him there was found, in the top of the
horn next the throat, which is hollow half-way
down, a fkull of a contracted round form, with
blood-veflels running upon it, and a bag filled with
grumous blood, among which was a fubftance like
a fheep's liver and lungs ; and a perfedt found kid-
ney, like that of a frefh loin of mutton. And this
is attefted by the names of three houfe- keepers of
credit, who were prefentwhen the animal was opened,
and who, if required, are ready to make oath of it.

If this be true, the cafe of this fheep is of the fame
nature with thofe of the cow, which was fhewed in
the mufeum, to the whole Society, in November
1748, having the parts of a twin-fifter adhering to
thefpine, and prominent upon her back: and alfo,
of an ox, which was fhewn in town about that time,
having the head of a twin-calf hanging from be--
tween the fides of the under jaw, by a narrow fkin.

As to the manner, in which fuch monftrous pro-
du&ions are formed, in order to avoid an unneceflary
repetition, I refer to my account of two female

Vol. 4p. B b children,

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children, joined together by the bellies, in N^ 48^
page 527. of the Pbilofophical Tranfatfions, where,
in my remarks upon them, I have attempted explain-
ing the phenomena of all thefe preternatural appear-
ances in animal bodies, as well as in thofe of vege-
tables.

*m

XXX. A Dijfertation upon the Cancer of the
Eye-lids, Nofe, great Angle of the Eye,
and its neighbouring Parts, commonly called
the Noli-me-tangere, deemed hitherto incur e-
able by both Antients and Moderns, but now
Jhewn to be as curable as other Diftempers.
Addrejfed to the Royal Society of London
by Mmf. Daviel, confulting Surgeon in or-
dinary, and Oculifl to the King ; Mafter
of Arts, and of Surgery at Marfeilles ;
Royal c ProfeJfor and Demonflrator of Ana-
tomy of the fame City ; Member of the
Academy of Sciences of Toulofe, Bologne,
and that of Surgery of Paris j and tranf-
lated from the French by James Parfons,
M. D. and F. R. S.

Paris, April 20, 1754.

Read May 8, S~\F all the difeafes which feize the

17SS * V^/ eye-lids, nofe, angle ^f the eye, and

its neighbouring parts, none appears fo formidable

as

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PhU#s. Trans. Vol. XLIX .TAB.IV. f>.*83.

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